Safety-trap for sewerage systems.



H. J. SOMMER. SAFETY TRAP-FOR SEWERAGE SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION HLED MAR- 3, 1914. 1,164,882, Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

imme/whom [:L J? Summer- COLQMBXA PLANOQRAPH 00.,wAsl-lmGTON, D. C.

H. 1. SUMMER. SAFETY TRAP FOR SEWERAGE SYSTEMS.

1 APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31. 1914. v 1,164,882. Patented Dec.21,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HENRY J. SUMMER, OF 'HOLLIDAYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY-TRAP FOB SEWEBAGE SYSTEMS.

Application filed March 31, 1914.

other public places caused by the clogging of the soil pipes.

In hospitals, and particularly in hospitals for the insane, the patients are liable to place all kinds of extraneous matter in the toilets, such as sheets, towels, pillow cases etc., "and this often causes a damming back of the sewage and consequent flooding of basements and the necessity of tearing up the sewerage system and putting the institution to a very large expense. Almost all public institutions are liable to loss from this cause. In department stores and factories, the customers and employees throw pieces of cloth into the toilets thus causing sewerage floods, and the same is true of railway stations. r

A further object of my invention therefore is to prevent such floods by the use of traps so designed that if there is any stoppage of sewage flow from any cause, an alarm will be sounded and notice given so that the sewerage system maybe immediately cleared out.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means to prevent the passage to the sewer pipes of articlesw'hichwould tend to clog these pipes.

A further object is the provision of traps so constructed as to permit the ready discharge into a main trap of articles such as towels, pieces of cloth, etc., which would ordinarily clog the sewer pipes.

Still another object is to provide alarm means sounded when the main trap is clogged, and individual alarms connected to the waste pipes leading from each toilet Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec.- 21, 1915. Serial No. 828,564. I

which will sound an alarm when these soil pipes become clogged.

My invention isillustrated in'the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 'l is a perspective view of a sanitary system constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section of a waste pipe leading from a toilet and the alarm connected thereto. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the construction illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. tis a longitudinal section thereof on the line 44 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of a toilet hopper showing diagrammatically the means for giving a signal in case the hopper becomes clogged.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

.Referring to these drawings, 2 designates the main trap or receptacle into which all of the toilets discharge and from which a soil pipe 3 extends to the main sewer, the pipe 3 being shown as provided in its length with a trap 4 of any suitable construction and designed to prevent the return passage top, though other forms of receptacle might be used. In its top it is provided with a plurality of handholes designated 5 adapted to be closed by gas-tight covers. The receptacle 2 is divided into a plurality of compartments, each compartment corresponding to one toilet by means of vertically disposed bars 6. In Fig. 1 two toilets are shown and therefore the receptacle 2 is divided into two compartments by two sets of bars 6. One set of these bars is shown as disposed at the middle of the receptacle 2 while the other set is disposed at the exit end of the receptacle so as to control the passage of material to the soil pipe 3. These bars are preferably arranged about two and one-half inches apart and are simply intended to prevent the passage of extraneous material such as rags or wads of paper to the pipe 3.

The toilets may be arranged in batteries of clothing, sheets, towels, etc, into the main so that all shall empty into the one trap or re-- ceptacle 2. As shown there are two toilets. The toilets are designated- 7 and may be made of any suitable construction. The contents of the toilets pass through the usual traps 8 and waste pipes 9. pipeterminates at its lower end in a trap 10 so constructed as to facilitate the passage trap or receptacle2. As illustrated in Fig.

'2, this trap-.10 has'one bend'which discharges upward and which is tiared'at its discharge 7 extraneous matter will prevent the backmouth as at 11, this discharge'mouth being therefore relatively large so as to-ofierthe least possible obstruction to the passage of material into the receptacle 2. The traps 8may be dispensed with as the traps 10 though allowing the passage of cloth and passage of sewer gas. The traps 8 therefore are simply cumulative invtheir action as regards the passage of sewer gas. I

'Each compartment of the receptacle 2 is connected on one side near thetop with a by-pass pipe 12 which is ofv suflicient size toaccommodate theordinary flow of sewage should extraneous material clogthe bars 6 and thus. dam up the sewage within there- 'oeptacle 2 and prevent its passage through the ,outlet end of the receptacle. This bypass pipe 12 at one extremity is downwardly I I bent as at '13 and'thenconnected by means Y i of the trap 14: to the soil pipe 3.-

Disposed. adjacent the discharge end of the pipe 12' isan upwardlyvextending pipe or chamber 15, and extending through this chamber is a rod '16 of electrically conductive material, thelower end 17 of whichprojects into the pipe 12 and is so formed as to I make electrical engagement with any water flowing through the pipe. 12, the rod 16 be ing'bent in the direction offiow of the water as illustrated. This rod 16 is connected in a'norrnally interrupted circuit with a battery 18 and a bell 19 by the wires 20, one of the wires being grounded to the main discharge pipe in any suitable manner. It

i will be obvious now that upon the passage of water throughthe pipe 12, the water will form aconducting medium closing the circuit between the rod 16and the metallic pipe andthus close the connection through thebell' I I and cause the bell to, sound or cause an otherdesired signal to be actuated. 1

- In order to give an alarm in case any one; of the wastepipes becomes clogged'at the.

trap end, I support adjacent eachwaste pipe a vertically extending pipe 21as illustrated in Fig. 2. This pipe 21 is preferably about eighteen inches long, of one inch galvanized pipe fitted to the Waste plpe 9 at its lower endby a' 45 L 22 andat its upper end con nected to the waste pipe by a service T having a 45 arm, the angles of the T and of the L extending downward and toward the Each "waste waste pipe. Ifc'logging takes place in the trap 10, orin trap 2 and by-pass 12, there r I will be a damming back ofthe sewage both in the. pipe 9 and in the pipe 21 connected therewith. I i j p Disposed within the upper end of the pipe 21 are the contacts 25 which are spaced; from each other and connected in a normally open i 7' circuit with an electric bell and a battery 27.

As soon as the sewage rises sufiiciently within the pipe 21 to cause the water tosu'bmerge the lower ends of the contacts 25, the circuit will be completed, the water acting as'a conducting medium between the spaced contacts 25, andtheele'ctric bell willbe soundedfor other signal given, thus notifying the en-- gineer or plumber that the particular waste pipe has become clogged. He can immedi- I ately remove the obstruction from :the I trap. I

f flooding ofthe. basementsof store rooms, etc.

and thus prevent-flooding of the toilets :and

WhileI have illustrated electric bells as being connected to the several traps and to the by-pass pipe, it will be of course under, I

stood that where many toiletsare used 'in one building, an enunciator may I be" employed. and the particular/location of the trouble may bethus definitely pointed out.

In Fig. 6 I ShOW- a .toilet hopper of an ordinary form, thatis, of the cast porcelain type,;this hopper being designated generally- 7, and it may be of any suitable form or construction. Entering. into the hopper preferably atthe rear end thereof, is a'small 2 piece ofpipe 29 whichflis downwardly exf-z tended as at 30. Disposed in-this pipe are the electric wires 81 which at their ends aref spaced from each other and'dispo'sed adja- W cent the mouth of the pipe.29.-, The other endsof the wires are connected in'a'nQelec'tric circuit with a battery and a bell 32 or other suitable signal. It is obvious now thatif the hopper becomes clogged or the trap of I the hopper becomes clogged, it""willcause aldamming back of the sewage and" this would eventually overflow from the hoppers.

plainly the source of trouble.'- v

Itv will be obvious that ordinarily and where all the pipesfare free, the sewage will flow throughthe receptacle:2, anjd'bedischarged intothesoil pipe 3 and thus into" the sewer." If the bars 6 become clogged, the receptacle 2 may. be readily cleaned out through the handholes 5. Inasmuch as each compartment of the receptacle 2 is indi,-

vidually connected to the by-pass'pipe 12, it. will be obvious that the clogging of an upper It will be alsoplain that when passage from the receptacle '2 is, impeded sufliciently and the water rises in the receptacle 2, it will compartment w ll not afiect the passage of e a material through the lower compartment.

damage will not occur from this damming.

back of sewage'in receptacle 2, yet an alarm will be sounded which will indicate that there is trouble and-permit the trouble to be removed. The same is, of course, true with regard to the alarms showing a clogging of the pipes 9.

. The trap 2 and the traps connected to the waste pipes may be constructed of iron, steel, concrete or any other substance that will be water-tight and gas-proof, but preferably these several traps and receptacles will be made of cast iron.

It will be seen that I have provided electric signaling mechanism for the main receptacle or trap, for the waste pipe entering the trap, for the hoppers or toilets connected to the waste pipes, and also provided signals for the by-pass so that whenever any one of these elements becomes clogged thus causing the'sewage tooverfiow, an alarm will be sounded. By providing a plurality of alarms connected to the several parts of the apparatus, it is obvious that I avoid the necessity of tearingout the plumbing of an establishment to find out where the clogging occurs.

While I have illustrated what I believe to be the best form of my apparatus, I do not wish to be limited thereto as it is obvious that the principle may be embodied in many difl'erent ways.

What I claim is:

1. In a sanitary system, a receptacle, a soil pipe-leading from the receptacle, partitional means dividing the receptacle into a plurality of intercommunicating compartments, waste pipes leading into the several compartments, hand holes opening into the compartments and indicating means associated with the several compartments and pipes to designate stoppage therein and the particular waste pipe that has been stopped.

2. In a sanitary system, a receptacle, a soil pipe leading from the receptacle, a bypass pipe connecting the upper portion of the receptacle to the soil pipe, indicating means associated with the by-pass, partitional means dividing the receptacle into a plurality of intercommunicating compartments, waste pipes leading intothe several compartments, hand holes opening into the compartments and indicating'means associated with the several compartments and pipes to give warning of abnormal rise and stoppage of sewage in the receptacle and designating the particular pipe in which stoppage has occurred.

3. In a sanitary system of the character.

described, a receptacle connected at one end to a sewer, a plurality of sets of barriers disposed within the receptacle preventing the passage of extraneous matter through the receptacle but. permitting the passagev of liquid material and dividing the receptacle into a plurality of compartments, waste pipes connected one to each compartment and discharging thereinto, a by-pass pipe connected to the upper portion of each compartment and to the sewer, and an indicator associated with the by-pass pipe.

, 4. In a sanitary system of the character described, a receptacle, a pipe leading therefrom at one end to a sewer, a .plurality of sets of bars dividing the receptacle into a plurality of compartments, a plurality of waste pipes connected one to each compartment and discharging thereinto, a by-pass pipe connected to the upper end of each compartment and discharging into the sewer, indicating means cooperating with the by-passpipe and. other indicating means associated and cooperating with the waste pipe.

5. In a sanitary system of the character described, an elongated receptacle connected at one end to a sewer, a plurality of sets of vertically disposed bars dividing the receptacle into compartments butpermitting the passage of water through the receptacle, a by-pass pipe having a connection to the upper end of each compartment and discharging into the sewer, a vertical chamber disposed inthe length of said by-pass pipe, indicating means cooperating with the chamber and bypass pipe, a plurality of waste pipes extending downward into the receptacle and each discharging into one of said compartments, a trap formed at the lower end of each waste pipe, said trap extending upward and having a relatively large and outwardly flaring discharge mouth, a vertical pipe disposed parallel to each waste pipe and connected at its upper and lower ends thereto, and indicating means 'for each of said waste pipes.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature inpresence of two witnesses.

HENRY J. SOMMER. [L.s.]

Witnesses:

W. M. BROWN, T. W. TOBIAS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

